


Little Stars

by shadowswan



Category: House of Anubis
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Inspired by Romeo and Juliet, Italy, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Romeo and Juliet References, Star-crossed, Whirlwind Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-07
Updated: 2014-04-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:26:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23531554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowswan/pseuds/shadowswan
Summary: Nina's next stop on her European travels is Verona, Italy. The few days she has there are all planned out but what she hadn't planned for was finding Romeo while stood on Juliet's balcony. Now he's showing her the sights and sweeping her off her feet, but she's only got a few days left with him... Fabina meets Shakespeare.
Relationships: Nina Martin/Fabian Rutter
Kudos: 8





	Little Stars

**Author's Note:**

> Uploading all my old works on to here to keep them safe, and cringe at how bad they are. I haven't re-written, edited, or even really re-read any of these; they are just being posted exactly as they are on ffnet.
> 
> Original author's note: This is my entry for FABINALIVES' Operation Imagine contest. It's HOA meets Shakespeare as Fabian and Nina become a modern day Romeo and Juliet - there are R&J references throughout, so keep a look out for them. It's an incredibly long one-shot but please bear with it. I had such a good time writing it. Enjoy!

"Who's there?"

Nina froze. Pressing herself into a helpful alcove set in the wall, she flattened herself against the old stone walls, feeling the dust crumble beneath her hands. Trying to be as silent as possible, Nina waited breathlessly for the security guard below to turn his flashlight off. She could see the circle of light on the steps below her and closed her eyes, terrified the spotlight would reach her.

Lights danced behind her eyelids and she opened them fearfully, afraid that she was entirely visible. To her relief, the darkness was still giving her shelter, but the man hadn't given up yet and was still scouring the area carefully. Just as the tips of her shoes were illuminated though, the light was snapped off, the guard satisfied that he'd been imagining footsteps.

Nina smiled with relief, waited until he'd wandered away, and then carried on up the old stone steps set into the wall. She knew she should have changed into her rubber soled pumps. Soon enough, the stairs ended and Nina stepped back out into the open, unable to stop herself grinning.

She stayed in the shadows for a moment and then wandered over to the edge of the balcony. Resting her arms on the ledge, she gazed up at the night sky, littered with a thousand little stars and a bright white half moon. The temperature had dropped, but after the roaring sun at midday, she wasn't too saddened by this. The gentle wind blew her **scarf** around her, and **hair** tickled her face.

Sweeping it away, Nina looked down onto the empty cobbled courtyard below. Vines twisted beneath the balcony and crept onto the stone wall nearby. Pink and **purple** flowers, which she couldn't name but thought they had a lovely sweet smell, had blossomed throughout the green, and Nina could see the rolling vineyards that lay on the other side of the wall.

"Fair Verona indeed," she sighed happily.

When she'd first told her best friends that she was travelling around Europe, they'd overloaded her with advice. Most of it had completely passed her by, but one of the girls had suggested that if she was going to Italy, she should visit Juliet's balcony, only at night. In the day it was crammed with tourists, especially during the summer months, and the magic was lost. Sneaking in at night was the better option, when you could stand and look at the clear sky for hours and be transported, for just one night, to the fourteenth century.

Her friend had been right, Nina decided. This was beautiful, one of the best moments of the trip so far. She'd had a fair few experiences already; before Italy had been the Eiffel Tower in France, Spanish paella on the burning sand, an attempt to absorb the Berlin Wall in Germany. She had a few more days here and then it was onto Rome before leaving Italy and heading to the mountains of Austria and the fjords of **Norway** amongst others. All in all the trip was lasting a month, and had cost her three **years** of savings, but so far it had been worth every cent.

Something felt special about tonight though, more special than other nights. She wasn't sure if it was because she was totally alone right now, absorbing a culture without the distractions of other tourists, or if it was because she was simply a huge fan of Shakespeare, but something was different.

"Come on then Romeo," she whispered.

It would have been nice to share this trip with someone else. All of the friends she could stand to spend more than two hours with had politely declined her offer to accompany her - most of them had already done the whole travelling thing while Nina had been at university in England, and those that hadn't didn't currently have the money.

One of her friends was saving for her wedding. That made Nina feel old. Here she was, a twenty three year old, still trying to find decent internships two years after university, and her friends were marrying off and having children. Not that Nina wanted any of that just yet, having no desires to grow up until she absolutely had to, but it made her feel a little lonely at times. She'd had a few boyfriends at university but they'd never worked out, and splitting her time between her English life and American life hadn't left her much opportunity to find her Romeo.

A clatter below made her jump a foot in the air.

Nina ducked down quickly, peering through the shapes cut out in the stone instead. She was fairly certain that she was safely hidden in the shadows, but she didn't want to risk being seen if the security guard was back.

Looking down, she determined that the person responsible for the noise was probably not a security guard. It was a boy, and though she couldn't see his face, she reckoned he looked around her age judging by his hair and clothing. He was looking around fearfully, as though he was hiding from something, or perhaps someone.

Nina rolled her eyes. Trust her magical moment to be ruined by some idiot, probably drunk and lost.

"What man art thou that, thus bescreened in night, so stumblest on my counsel?" she whispered, smiling to herself. Maybe it was a good thing she'd come alone after all.

She'd misjudged how high the balcony was though, and with horror she realised that in the silence of the night, her voice had carried as clearly as if she'd shouted the words. The mystery boy heard and his head snapped up, surprised at the source of the voice. Nina was hoping she might remain unseen but the shapes in the balcony were sizeable enough, and her wide eyes were a bit of a giveaway.

The boy grinned, and Nina blinked. He had a lovely smile.

"Hello," he nodded, giving her a wave, then scrunching his nose as if trying to remember something. "Erm, by a name I know not how to tell thee who I am."

Nina gasped and then started giggling. Standing up straight now that her secret was out, she leaned over to look at him properly.

"Hi," Nina laughed, waving back.

"Was that a bit weird?" he asked sheepishly, a tiny blush creeping over his cheeks. Nina thought she might melt - now she could see him, she could see that he was quite handsome, with what seemed a permanent smile and brown hair that flopped into his eyes. His British accent was also a nice touch.

"It was very cute," Nina laughed, shaking her head. "Now I feel even more like Juliet."

"Well I've always fancied myself as a Romeo," he nodded, then put his head in his hands. "Well that was definitely weird. I sounded more coherent when I was quoting a sixteenth century playwright."

"You did quote him incredibly well," Nina admitted. "So what's your real name Romeo? I hope you're not a Montague."

"Fabian. Not related to any Montagues as far as I know. Are you a Capulet by any chance?"

"Well that is good to know. Pleased to meet you Fabian. I'm Nina. No Capulets my end."

"Phew. No stars crossing for us." Nina raised an eyebrow and Fabian's eyes widened. "Not that I'm at all suggesting we might in any way, right now, or ever, become lovers, star-crossed or otherwise. Of course, that's not to say I wouldn't want to be, nor any man would not want to be, because you're really very pretty, or at least as far as I can tell because it's night and we only have the light of the moon, and though you look striking, you might look totally different in the light, but probably not in a bad way-"

"Hey Romeo. Why don't you stop rambling and help me down so you can decide for yourself if the moonlight is affecting your sight?"

"Good plan," Fabian nodded, hitting his forehead and mumbling something unintelligible to himself. "Unfortunately I don't actually possess love's light wings, so..."

"Why don't you just get ready to catch me then?"

"Right you are."

Fabian hovered by the vine as Nina nimbly swung herself over the balcony ledge and began her descent down the plant. Thankfully it was well and truly attached to the wall, but leaves still rained down on Fabian as he waited for her. Blinking them out of his eyes, he stood nervously with his arms outstretched, knowing full well that if Nina fell he'd be utterly useless.

"Ready?" Nina muttered.

"No!" Fabian cried as she hopped to the ground.

"Ha, your face," Nina laughed as she landed on two feet on the cobbles, a good metre away from Fabian.

"That wasn't funny," Fabian scolded. "You could've hurt yourself."

"Yes, but I didn't," Nina winked.

"Who's there?" a gruff voice yelled suddenly.

Nina and Fabian looked at one another with fear and then Fabian took Nina's hand and started running. They raced out of the courtyard and Fabian dragged her down a side street, followed by another, and then another. Once they'd run what felt like a whole maze, Fabian stopped.

"I hope you know where we are," Nina said, leaning over to try and get her breath back.

"Of course I do. Do you think we lost him?"

"Fabian, I think we lost him twenty streets ago."

"Better to be safe than sorry," he said pompously.

They stood for a second and then realised they were still holding hands. Fabian dropped Nina's instantly, and they stood there awkwardly. Everything had felt magical and romantic at Juliet's balcony - here Nina became very aware that she'd just followed a complete stranger through a town she didn't know.

"So..." Nina said. "Do you have the time?"

She didn't know why she'd asked that.

"Erm, half nine. Why?"

Nina shrugged and then started laughing uncontrollably. It started off as a muffled chuckle but before she knew it she was doubled over in fits, tears streaming down her face. Fabian looked at her with alarm but eventually the infectious sound got to him and he began to laugh nervously too.

"I'm sorry," Nina said breathlessly, clutching onto his arm to try and stay upright. "I'm sorry, it's just this is so ridiculous. I'm Nina, I'm a girl who spends her whole life with her nose in a book. I'm a total loser, and I never go out. And here I am running around Italy with a boy I've only just met because he swept me off my feet. It's just so silly."

"It's not silly," Fabian laughed, understanding. "It's fun. It's exciting."

"Of course, of course," Nina nodded. "It's so fun. It's just unlike me."

"Well this isn't how I usually spend my nights either," Fabian grinned.

"It kinda feels like a dream," Nina sighed. "Like I'll wake up tomorrow, back to boring old me."

"Let's keep dreaming then," Fabian suggested. "Can I take you for a drink?"

Nina looked at him, chewing her lip and mulling it over. On the one hand, she wanted to get back to the safety of her hotel, get some sleep in ready for the busy day she had planned for tomorrow. She could end the night here, her heart beating a little too fast, a sparkle in her eye. Fabian could be a lovely memory of her happiest evening on the trip so far. Then again, she was curious as to whether the evening could maybe improve.

"Okay," she said, wondering what had happened to the old Nina.

"Okay," Fabian grinned. "Follow me."

"You can tell me what you were running from."

"You can describe again how I swept you off your feet."

* * *

"You did not end up on the **roof**!" Nina squealed, clapping her hands together in delight.

"I don't even know how it happened!" Fabian laughed, shaking his head at himself.

They were sat in the corner of a noisy, crowded Irish pub, and Fabian was regaling Nina with his whole sorry tale of how he found himself reciting Shakespeare to her.

"So let me get it all straight," Nina laughed. "You were invited to a party, but you went to the wrong one, the party of your friend's ex-girlfriend no less, and then someone saw you and you all fled?"

"Yeah," Fabian said, still in disbelief at the situation. "Then we were trying to navigate along the tops of the buildings, but somewhere I lost the others. I can only assume they're back at the house. So I hopped off the lowest roof I could find, but didn't have a clue where I was, so I just ran around frantically."

"And then you stumbled across me," Nina sighed. "And the rest, as they say, is history."

"I did indeed. Pretty handy actually. Got my bearings once I realised it was Juliet's balcony."

"So you have a house here?" Nina asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I'm doing a masters in Italian history, so I'm here for the year," Fabian said sheepishly. "Pretty nerdy, I know."

"Not at all," Nina said. "I'm more of an Egyptian history kind of girl, but if you're nerdy, I dread to think what I am."

She took another sip of lemonade and smiled at him. Once they'd reached the pub, Nina had realised she had absolutely no **money** on her, having walked to the balcony from her hotel. Fabian had reassured her he didn't mind buying her a drink, but he refused to buy her anything alcoholic. Didn't want her thinking he was taking advantage of her. Nina had said the thought would never have entered her head, but she wasn't really in the mood for drinking anyway.

"You don't strike me as a nerd. Just intelligent. It's a good thing."

Nina tilted her head at him, saying nothing, just smiling. Fabian smiled back.

"I should probably get going," Nina said eventually, trying to conceal a yawn. "Thank you for a much better night than I could have ever hoped for. I wasn't expecting to find a Romeo."

"Hey, it's been a pretty good night for me too. Not every day you stumble across a Juliet. Can I walk you back to your hotel?"

"Sure," Nina smiled. "Thank you."

They left the pub and wandered along the darkened streets. They appeared to have come nearly full circle, because the walk back was over before Nina would have liked.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye," Nina said sadly.

"How long are you in Verona?" Fabian asked quickly, before he could change his mind.

"Three more days," Nina replied.

"Can I see you tomorrow?"

Nina looked at him, torn. She had so many plans made, so many tours and sightseeing excursions booked... but the thought of spending a day with Fabian gave her a giddy feeling she hadn't felt in a while.

"Yes," she said, before she could change her mind.

"Great," Fabian grinned. "See you tomorrow. I'll come and pick you up."

"See you tomorrow. Goodnight," Nina said, waving as she went into the entrance of the hotel.

"A thousand times," Fabian said under his breath as he turned to make his own way home.

* * *

Nina was lounging around in **bed** when she heard him the next morning. It had taken her a long time to fall asleep last night, eventually resorting to leaving her shutters open and counting the stars in the sky until she finally dropped off. This morning she'd regretted her actions, as sun had started streaming into the room from around five.

Now she was just gazing around the cute little hotel room that was to be her home for the next few days. It wasn't up to much; she didn't have that much money. It was nicer than some of the places she'd stayed though. The bed was a double, which was absolutely glorious, and the furniture was old, but in an antiquated kind of way. There were a few pictures on the walls - a photo of a **turtle** amongst fish in a bright blue sea occupied one frame, a painting of a **forest** was in another. Her favourite had to be a print of an old fashioned illustration of Romeo calling to Juliet on her balcony, which most definitely had nothing to do with her own experience of being Juliet last night.

A horn sounding outside had her dashing over to the window. She peered down and saw Fabian waving at her from the sweetest little red Vespa.

"Come on then!" he called over the engine. "I've got so much to show you!"

Nina grinned and raced back into her room. Throwing her camera, sunglasses and an **apple** into her purse, she slung it over her shoulder and put a floppy sunhat on, then locked her room and hurried downstairs.

Outside the sun was already beating down, and Fabian was looking handsome sat waiting for her. Nina was pleased that he looked just as lovely and friendly in the light of day. She wandered over, smiling, and he grinned back.

"Wasn't sure if you'd come," she admitted.

"You don't get to escape that easily," he laughed. "It's not every day pretty girls agree to let me show them the sights. Now, I'm not sure what you're planning to do with that."

He pointed to her sunhat and she looked at him confused.

"It'll fall off the moment we set off. Promise."

Fabian hopped off the Vespa, whipped it from her and went back inside the hotel. Nina followed, confused, but hesitant to leave his scooter unattended. She ended up hovering in the **doorway** as Fabian handed her hat over to the man behind the desk. He said something in Italian and the man smiled and put it behind the desk.

"Come on then," Fabian said, taking her hand and getting back on the scooter. "It's waiting for you when you get back. We don't have time for you to run back to your room."

"You speak Italian?" Nina asked, sidetracked by this fact.

"Yes," he laughed. "I live here, remember?"

"It's nice," she smiled.

"Glad you like it," he said, shaking his head. "Get on then."

"I've never been on one of these before," Nina said hesitantly, climbing on behind him. "What do I do?"

"Just hold on," Fabian laughed, kicking off and speeding away from the hotel.

Nina screamed and wrapped her arms around his waist without thinking. After a second of getting used to the wind making her hair fly behind her and the feeling that she might die at any moment, she became aware of how tightly she was holding onto Fabian.

"Is this okay?" she shouted into his ear, trying to loosen her hold.

Fabian took a hand off the scooter to pull her hands tighter around him.

"Of course it is!" he yelled back. "Now hold on!"

Nina grinned as he took control of the scooter again, fastening her arms around him and letting her head rest against his back. The sun beat down on her cheeks as they flew through the city, and she watched with wonder as ancient stone buildings and scenes of life in Verona passed them by.

She felt like she was dreaming, like she was in paradise.

Eventually the Vespa came to a stop and Nina looked around, curious as to where they were.

"Erm, Nina," Fabian said awkwardly. "I need to get off."

"Oh, sorry," she said, blushing, as she released the death grip she had on him.

He laughed and took her hand, helping her off the scooter.

"So where have you brought me?" Nina asked, gazing around the bustling piazza they were stood at the side of.

"The first destination of your tour of Verona," he grinned, leading her into the crowd.

* * *

Dusk was falling by the time Fabian dropped Nina back off outside her hotel. She was still breathless from the day they'd spent together. First had been the market, where she'd bought far too many trinkets she didn't need, followed by an old church, a trip to a proper ice cream parlour, a wander around streets with brightly coloured doors, an afternoon spent outside watching an opera.

Fabian had outdone himself.

"Thank you for today," Nina said softly, hopping off the Vespa and retrieving her purse and her new belongings.

"It was my pleasure," Fabian smiled. "Thank you for letting me show you around."

"Why did you do all of this?" Nina asked politely. "Not that I'm not grateful, at all, I've had the best day. It's just, you barely know me. We met last night."

"I don't know," Fabian answered honestly. "You just feel special."

A smile crept over Nina's face. She leaned in to kiss him on the cheek then made her way to the entrance to the hotel.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" she called.

"Not in the day," he said, sorrow in his face. "But if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to take you out to dinner."

"It's a date," Nina replied happily.

"Until tomorrow evening then," Fabian said with a wave, starting the scooter back up again.

With a loud rev, the scooter sped away, kicking up the ground and creating a **veil** of dust behind it. When the dust cleared, Fabian was long gone, just a tiny red speck in the distance.

"Until tomorrow," Nina whispered. "Oh parting, you are such sweet sorrow."

She was light on her feet back to her room, stopping on her way to retrieve her hat from the main desk. Twirling it around on her finger, she smiled as she re-lived the day she'd spent with Fabian. She couldn't wait to see him tomorrow, and it almost scared her a little bit. She actually could not wait. She wanted to be with him right now, in his company at this very moment.

Nina had always been a sensible person. Rational, practical, sensible. She wasn't one for love at first sight. She didn't fall for people she'd only known for twenty-four hours. That just wasn't like her.

* * *

The next day, Nina felt lost. She did everything she'd planned to do, went on all the trips and tours she'd booked. The weather was beautiful, and she got ice cream again, and indulged in a delicious lunch at a tiny place tucked in the corner of a square. It had been another perfect day in Verona, but doing everything alone now felt sad.

Everywhere else she'd visited in Europe, she'd enjoyed her own company. She'd realised that travelling alone was nice. She could do whatever she wanted to, whenever she wanted to. She didn't have to visit some place she had no interest in just to appease someone else, and she was free to visit all of the obscure places on her list.

Yesterday with Fabian had been so magical though, that today just fell flat. The market didn't feel as alive as it had, the colours in the mosaics in the buildings weren't as vibrant, even the ice cream wasn't as heavenly as it had been. She'd found herself on edge all day, just waiting for tonight when she could finally see him.

Nina was so annoyed at herself. A boy interrupting her trip. How silly. Here she was, in a lovely Italian city, and all she could think of was a face beneath brown floppy hair.

She retired back to the hotel, eager to get ready for the evening. If she was going to lose her trip to Verona to her heart, she may as well make it fun. She hadn't had a date in a while now, the last few boyfriends having put her off for a while, but this seemed fun. She was nervous, and giddy, and butterflies were swirling in her stomach. It felt like a lot rested on this date. At the moment she felt as if she was standing at the edge of a **cliff** , and if Fabian proved himself tonight, she would happily fall for him.

She groaned at herself. No one was falling for anybody. End of story.

Still, her heart leapt when she heard a **whistle** from outside her window. Checking her appearance one last time, Nina skipped down the stairs, barely able to contain her excitement at seeing Fabian again. He was outside waiting for her, dressed up with a smart blue shirt, looking charming.

Nina ran to him, throwing her arms around him then remembering herself and stepping back.

"Sorry," she muttered.

"Happy to see me?" he teased.

"Yes," she nodded. "You look very nice."

"Not a patch on you," he said, admiring her light blue summer dress and the way her tousled hair fell over her shoulders, a braid keeping it out of her eyes. "You look lovely."

"So you're happy to see me too?" she smiled.

"You have no idea."

"Where's the Vespa then?" Nina asked, looking around.

"I thought we could walk tonight, if that's okay with you? It's a nice evening, and the restaurant isn't too far away."

"Sounds great," Nina smiled.

"I love the evening," Fabian said idly. "That bit in between day and night, when the moon comes out, and all the little stars, but the sky is blue, not black."

Nina looked at him sideways and smiled to herself.

"Sorry," he said, shaking his head. "That sounded really silly."

"Not at all," said Nina. "I'm in love with the night. The whole world should be. Who would ever pay attention to the sun, when the moon is so beautiful?"

She looked up at the sky, where the moon was just beginning to show itself.

"See? Beautiful."

"Definitely," Fabian said, looking straight at her. "So, dinner?"

Nina blushed and nodded. He held out his hand for her to take, which she did gladly, enjoying the way they fit together. They strolled through the streets, slowly this time, absorbing the sights and sounds of Verona at night. As Nina had expected, everything felt alive again.

"So where have you been today?" she asked. "I missed you as my tour guide."

"I had university," he said sheepishly. "I skipped yesterday, but I figured I shouldn't have two days off."

"You missed your studies for me?" Nina asked, eyes wide. "Fabian! You shouldn't have done that."

"But I wanted to," he pointed out. "And you had a good day, right?"

"Well yeah, of course I did, but that isn't the point."

"What is the point?"

"The point is that you shouldn't put things on hold for someone you've only known a day."

"What if she's something special?"

"Well it's still not much of an excuse," said Nina, her resolve weakening.

"Oh shush," Fabian laughed. "Come on, we're here."

He led her over to a bustling restaurant, with a deep red awning, a few tables outside, and a queue that went down the whole street. Red roses twined around everything, and Nina was speechless for a moment. If the place looked this pretty, she couldn't wait to taste the food.

Fabian boldly walked up to the door, while Nina followed reluctantly followed behind.

"Fabian," she hissed. "There's a queue."

He ignored her and wandered over to the waiter taking people's names. He was deeply tanned, wrinkles etched in his face, and a bushy white moustache that topped a big smile.

"Ah, Fabian!" the man cried in a thick Italian accent, giving him a hug. Fabian returned it, while Nina looked on, bemused. "And who is this?"

"The girl I was telling you about," Fabian grinned, while Nina waved shyly. "Did you save that table for me?"

"Of course," the man said, ushering them over to a table for two in the window. "And your menus."

He gave them each a copy of the menu then made his apologies and went to carry on tackling the crowd at the front of the restaurant.

"Wow," was all Nina could say. At Fabian's negotiating skills, his contacts, at the absolutely beautiful place he'd brought her.

"So you like it?" Fabian asked. "I've been coming here for pizza since I first moved here. I know all the staff."

"You don't say," Nina joked. "We're pretty unpopular with everyone outside."

"Well then it's a good job they're outside," Fabian grinned, glancing down at the menu. "Now then, let's eat."

* * *

"I think I'm going to burst," Nina giggled as they made their way through the streets.

"Please don't, it would put quite the dampener on the evening," Fabian joked, holding her hand as she balanced along a little stone wall.

"Seriously, that place was amazing," Nina said, shaking her head. "I could eat there every day."

"I all but do," Fabian laughed. "I'm glad you liked it."

"It was perfect," she said happily, jumping off the end of the wall and looking up at him as they paused. "Thank you."

"You are more than welcome."

It was nearing midnight, and the two of them were walking the streets, which Nina enjoyed more and more as the hours passed. Dinner had ended long ago, a blissful affair with traditional Italian courses one after another, until Nina thought she might pop right out of her dress. She dreaded to think what it cost, but Fabian had insisted on paying for everything.

Now it was night, and Fabian had promised to walk her home a long time ago.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were leading me astray so I could never get home," Nina said, turning around and walking backwards in the street so she could face him.

It was nice to be able to do such a thing. Back home, walking in the street backwards would have gotten her run over. Here, everything was silent, save the sound of birds and insects carrying on with their songs. The occasional burst of laughter could be heard from an open doorway, or an argument from a window that hadn't been closed, but it only added to the cosy feeling. Nina felt like she could happily stay here forever.

"Would I ever do such a thing?" Fabian asked innocently, looking hurt that she'd even suggest it.

"I don't know," she sighed. "I don't know anything about you. I don't even know your surname, only that it's not Montague."

"Rutter," he winked.

"Martin," Nina replied, tilting her head.

"What's up?" Fabian asked, catching up to her side and taking her hand, pulling her gently to a stop.

"This just feels... I don't know," Nina sighed. "I'm leaving in a few days, and we've become so close so suddenly, and I don't really know what we're doing. Do you know what we're doing?"

"Not a clue," Fabian grinned. "That's why I like it."

"Aren't you scared? Confused?"

"No. Why would I be? There's nothing scary about you, unless you're about to turn around and tell me that you're actually here for a reason other than travelling, and that making me fall for you is actually part of some heinous plan devised before you even arrived. And I'm most definitely not confused. I like you. End of story. I say, let's just accept that these past few days have been nice, and that we can carry on like this until you leave."

"That's what I'm scared of," Nina said, with a sad smile. "I don't want to say goodbye to you."

"Then don't."

"Fabian-"

"I'm kidding, obviously. But don't be scared. Just means we'll have to make tonight and tomorrow even sweeter."

"I'm not convinced."

"You said I swept you off your feet-"

"And you said you're falling for me. That's a big difference."

"So what, you're not falling for me too?"

"I never said that," Nina pointed out, smiling begrudgingly.

"You didn't need to," he smiled, turning her to face him and leaning closer.

"Is this a good idea?" she whispered.

"Romeo and Juliet fell in love in a night," Fabian replied.

"Yeah and it turned out so well for them," Nina said, moving closer to him. "Fall in love in one night, and kill each other a few days later. Well, not kill each other. Not directly. And I'm not at all saying that's what's going to happen to us, but-"

"Nina," Fabian interrupted, a hint of exasperation in his voice. "Can I kiss you yet?"

Nina looked up at him, chewing her lip and then nodded, standing up on her tiptoes. Fabian leaned in, and Nina closed her eyes, unsure of whether she was ready for the moment she'd been waiting for all day.

"Oh," Nina said suddenly, pulling apart as a huge **raindrop** fell on her nose, taking her by complete surprise.

She looked upwards to where the sky was clouding over, and then the heavens opened on them.

"Where did that come from?" she laughed, as the rain fell down, soaking them within seconds.

"Not a clue," Fabian laughed, pulling her back to him and pressing his lips to hers.

She sighed and let herself kiss him back, feeling rain fall on her closed eyelids and trickle down her face. It didn't stop them though. Fireworks were exploding in her head, and she smiled. She'd never had a kiss like this. It didn't matter that she was leaving tomorrow, that she would never see him again after that.

This kiss was worth all of the heartache it was probably going to cause.

Finally they broke apart, very reluctantly, both of them grinning at one another, blinking the water out of their eyes.

"That was romantic," Nina laughed. "What were you saying about putting a dampener on the night?"

"Yeah, usually I don't get the big film moments," Fabian said, looking up at the sky appreciatively. "Right then, fancy going inside?"

Nina nodded frantically, and Fabian took her hand and started running. There was no one around they could **borrow** an umbrella or even a car from, so instead they just had to let themselves get wet as they raced through the streets, feet splashing through newly formed puddles.

"Where are we going?" Nina yelled as Fabian pulled her forward.

"My place, if that's okay?" Fabian said, looking at her apologetically. "I really didn't mean for this to be some sort of way of getting you back to mine."

"I know that, you idiot. If you could control the weather, we'd still be dry!"

Finally they reached a small door set into a stone wall. Fabian's freezing fingers fiddled with the key until it eventually opened and he could pull Nina inside. They stood in the hallway for a second, listening to the rain, until Fabian started flicking lights on and wandering around.

"I must be pretty **trustworthy** for you to just follow me into a strange house," he laughed, heading to a cupboard.

"I just want to be dry," Nina informed him.

He threw her a towel and she shot him a grateful look, drying her hair first then wrapping it around herself.

"Come on, you can have one of my jumpers to keep you warm," Fabian said, motioning for her to follow him upstairs.

Nina looked around as she went after him. The house was small, tiny even, but very sweet. The walls were still stone, and all of the floors were colourful tiles, cracked but pretty. The doors didn't quite fit the walls, and the papers and files stashed everywhere proved quite a contrast to the old-fashioned interior.

"Does anyone else live here?" Nina asked as they went down an upstairs corridor.

"Yeah, there's three of us, but the other two are out, don't worry," Fabian grinned, as he pushed open a door at the end. "Just to warn you, my room is a complete mess."

Nina gasped as they entered. There were books everywhere. Everywhere. Two bookshelves were straining under the weight of them, and they were piled all over the floor as well. The furniture in the room, a desk, a bed, a chair, a wardrobe, were all covered in books too, piled on top, underneath, to the side.

"Wow. Are these all for your degree?" Nina asked, stunned.

"Oh, no, god no. I just like to read," Fabian said, his voice muffled as he rummaged around in his closet.

"Clearly," Nina laughed, taking the jumper Fabian handed to her.

She shrugged it on over her dress, accepting the fact that she was going to have to keep the dress on, because Fabian didn't own anything she could actually fashion into an outfit. The jumper was warm though, and she started to feel better once it was on.

"I'm really sorry about all of this," Fabian said, heading into his bathroom and taking his wet top off, running a hand through his also dripping hair. "Excuse me."

He came back into the room to find a new tshirt, while Nina watched admiringly. She'd suspected it yesterday when she'd had her arms around his waist, but seeing it in person confirmed that Fabian had a very nice body indeed. She sidled over, wrapping her arms around him before he could pull his top back on.

Fabian turned around, surprised.

"Nina, I honestly didn't plan this to lure you back to my house. I'm not a creep. I enjoyed kissing you, but I can take you straight back to your hotel once I'm dressed again."

"I know," she said, leaning up to kiss him on the side of his mouth. "But you're right. That kiss was something else, and if we only have one more night, we may as well make the most of it."

Fabian grinned, kissing her again and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I like my jumper on you," he mumbled against her lips.

"I like your jumper on me too," she said happily, pulling him over to his bed and falling back onto it. Fabian pushed himself up on his arms, gazing at her for a moment.

"You are so pretty," he murmured, and she smiled at him.

"You're not so bad yourself," she said, and he laughed.

"How silver-sweet sound lovers' tongues by night, like softest music to attending ears," whispered Fabian sarcastically, and Nina smiled, shaking her head.

"Have you ever tried to charm a girl with Shakespeare before?"

"No. Is it working?"

"Most definitely," she said, closing her eyes as his kisses moved to her jaw, her neck, travelling down her chest.

"I'll bear it in mind," he murmured, before finding her lips again.

"The balcony thing helped too though," she said. "So you're going to have to hang out there more often in the future."

"Do you always talk this much when you're having a romantic moment with someone?" Fabian muttered.

"Ooh, is that what this is? A romantic moment," Nina teased.

Fabian sighed, flopping down onto his bed and pulling her close to him, making her squeal. Nina fidgeted around, finally settling her head on his chest, one arm slung over his torso.

"Leaving you is going to be so hard," she said, suddenly sad. "It would have been so much easier if we'd never met. If I'd kept quiet on that balcony."

"Come on Nina, don't wish it away," Fabian sighed. "It's been so nice. This is the most fun I've had since I moved out here. Apart from when I go to the library and all that."

"Ha, I should've known you were a secret nerd," Nina chuckled, tracing patterns on him absentmindedly.

"Yeah, I kept it well-hidden with the whole reciting Shakespeare thing."

"But seriously," Nina said, propping herself up on her elbows and facing him. "I don't want to go."

"You have to," he said softly, moving a stray strand of hair from her face.

"What do I have to go home to? A job hunt, an empty apartment, friends that are all marrying off."

"You still have the rest of this trip," Fabian reminded her. "And I'm only here for the rest of the year. We might see each other again. Love always finds a way."

"Is that what this is? Love?"

"I don't know. I always thought love seemed so gentle, so wonderful," Fabian laughed, without a trace of humour. "But apparently it's anything but. It's rough, and it's cruel, and it's utter madness."

"It's been wonderful for me," Nina told him, and he smiled miserably. "Somehow, in just two days and two nights, I've met a strange boy, who has found the ability to **capture** my heart with his bumbling, friendly ways and shown me the most beautiful town in the most beautiful way. I didn't know what it was to experience a place until I found him."

"Guess you're going to have to fall in love in every city from now on," Fabian joked, pulling her close again.

"But I love you," she whispered, trying to stop the tears that threatened.

"I love you too," he said, shaking his head as if he wished the words weren't true.

"So now what?"

"Now, I take you back to your hotel, you pack, and I come and say goodbye in the morning."

"That sounds like the worst ending to a date I've ever heard."

"Nina, I'd keep you here forever if I could. But I can't. If you don't go now, you never will, and we both know you need to."

Slowly Nina climbed off Fabian's bed and he followed suit, finding the top he'd been looking for and pulling it on. Nina picked up her purse and then let him lead the way out of his house and back onto the street, where the rain had thankfully ceased. Her heart felt like it was breaking.

"Fancy a ride on the Vespa?" he asked.

She nodded silently, holding him so tightly the entire ride back, tears now flowing freely as she pressed her face to his back. When they reached the hotel again, he didn't get off the scooter.

"See you tomorrow," he said, as she leaned over to give him one last kiss.

"Thank you for such a lovely evening," she whispered, afraid her voice couldn't reach much more.

If Fabian noticed the tear tracks on her cheeks, he didn't mention it. Instead he kissed her back and nodded, then drove off into the distance again. Nina didn't stop to watch him; she just hurried back up to her room and threw herself onto the bed, resigning herself to the fact that she had to leave tomorrow, and she wasn't happy about it.

* * *

Nina glanced at her watch. The cab that was taking her to the airport was arriving in one hour, and she still hadn't seen Fabian. She was worried that he might have decided not to come, that it might be too hard. Well of course it would be, but she needed to see him one last time. She glanced at the suitcase and the hand luggage stood by the door and frowned.

After what felt like forever, she heard the rev of his Vespa outside. Rushing over to her window for the last time, she smiled at him as he looked up and waved.

"Come on up," she called, and two minutes later he arrived in her room.

"Hi," he said breathlessly.

"I thought you weren't coming," she said, hugging him.

"Not a chance," he said, resting his chin on her head and holding her tightly.

"Here," Nina said, pulling away and retrieving his neatly folded jumper from her bed. "Sorry I didn't get chance to wash it, but-"

"You can keep it if you want," Fabian said. "It's my favourite jumper, so I'm going to want it back one day."

"Okay," she smiled, both of them knowing the chances of their paths crossing again was very slim.

Nina had a life in the US, and Fabian had a life in Italy and then back in England. They had not been dealt a good hand, but they could pretend.

"I have something for you," Fabian said, producing a **letter** from his pocket. "It has all my details, in case you ever want to write, or call, or anything. You don't have to-"

"I will," Nina reassured him, tucking the envelope safely inside her bag and then kissing him again.

"So this is goodbye," Fabian said after a moment of them standing there in silence. "It's not a great feeling."

"No, it isn't," Nina laughed.

"I guess we just weren't meant to be. Wrong even though it was right."

"I always wanted a star-crossed lover," Nina sighed, giving him one last kiss, sensing that he would leave soon. "It always seemed so romantic. Now I wish our two little stars had aligned, perfectly. That would apparently be far more romantic."

"I always wanted a whirlwind romance," Fabian admitted, reluctantly ending the kiss, afraid he would never let go. "I figured that if I only loved once, it would be better to love quickly and fiery, rather than slowly and dull. I guess now I've realised they're both as bad as each other. As the man himself said, violent delights have violent ends."

"Then let me take my last embrace," she smiled sadly.

Fabian pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her so tight she wasn't sure how she was ever going to leave him. He kissed her forehead and then let her go, his eyes closed.

Nina watched as he left her hotel room, without a single glance back. She was relieved; if he'd turned, just for a second, she would've followed him forever, and she couldn't do that.

After a few seconds, she deemed it safe to go out onto her balcony, where Fabian was revving his scooter below. They were leaving one another where they had met, and it was all too bittersweet.

"Goodbye Romeo!" Nina called, blowing him one last kiss.

Fabian gave her one last wink, his final **gesture** , before speeding off into the distance, and both their hearts wrenched. Nina sighed, slumping over her balcony, allowing the one little tear that wanted to escape do so.

Unfair Verona, it now seemed.

**Author's Note:**

> Original author's note: Congratulations! You made it to the end of the story! I really hope you liked it. Romeo and Juliet is my favourite of Shakespeare's plays, and writing Fabian and Nina's Verona love story has rekindled my love for Fabina. A few notes - I have no idea if you can access Juliet's balcony at night (I imagine you can't...), I know nothing of Verona's weather and whether random rain is a common thing or not, plus I have no idea of the layout of the town. But all that aside, I hope you still enjoyed it. Let me know what you thought! One day I might continue this into a full story, carrying on with the Shakespearean theme, because Fabian and Nina's story is evidently unfinished, but I have so many other stories right now, it'll have to wait a little bit. Thank you so much for reading :)
> 
> Updated author's note: Britishisms, Britishisms everywhere, and it's from the point of view of an American in Italy. Yikes. Also, I have just realised that I am uploading this to AO3 exactly six years to the day after I first posted this. Holy shit, we're all dying.


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